This was a gift from a dear friend and my first introduction to Hourglass cosmetics. I love all my enabler friends who introduce me to very nice but little known cosmetics brands, and fuel my wants. Sigh… I do still love you all k? 😉
Hourglass Cosmetics hail from the USA and are, for the want of a nicer word, pricey. Alright. VERY pricey! A lipgloss retails at US$28. Who was moaning about Chanel lippies again? 😉 I was gifted with the Hourglass Extreme Sheen lipgloss in Nectar, a lovely bright coral. I knew I’d love the colour the minute I clapped eyes on it. Yes, my friends know me well LOL!
Extreme Sheen is not just descriptive of the texture, it is also descriptive of everything about this lipgloss. It is extreme in every way. The colour is bright, its shiny on the lips, its got a strong scent, its moisturizing on the lips… its extreme.
Hourglass Extreme Sheen lipgloss in Nectar
I love how it feels on the lips – light – but I don’t quite like just goopy it can be to apply. I love brush applicators for glosses (it offers me better control than doe foot applicators) but this one seems to exit the gloss tube with too much gloss on the brush which makes applying on the lips a bit of a pain because colour can go on unevenly.
Look quite scary tangerine bright at this point yes?
And yes it even swatches a bright coral on the back of my hand. Its pigmented, make no mistake. The colour in the tube is pretty much what you get on lips and on skin. You can see the high shine and gloss factor. Its a little bit sticky, but its not uncomfortable. It does not make me feel like I have fake plastic lips on … if you know what I mean.
The lip colour is pretty much true to life. Its a bright shade, that instantly perks up the complexion and I’m loving the tip on how to make my eyes look less tired! I’m using it all the time now with a regular creamy/peachy eyeshadow, and I do look more alive in the mornings. Whew! This is one layer of gloss on my lips, sheered out for a more wearable colour. If you layer on another layer, it looks pretty much as it does in the tube and is also very pretty.
One more complaint. The scent. There is a rich sweet scent that comes with this lipgloss that I could really do without. It does dissipate throughout the day, but not quickly enough for me. Still, I love the colour and texture so I will wear this one and I do, often.
Pros: Gorgeous coluor, Lovely texture with high shine, Not drying on lips, Highly pigmented and can be layered for intensity
Cons: Pricey, Unavailable locally, Strong sweet scent, Brush exits gloss tube with too much gloss
Being a gloss, I don’t have hopes of longevity. It lasts well enough with a drink or two of water but if I take in copious cups of water in the mornings, it lasts me about 3 hours or so.
Is Hourglass a brand new to you too? Might you have gotten your hands on any of the Hourglass lipglosses and do you have a colour to recommend? I know the reds get marvellous reviews 😀
Paris B
Hourglass Cosmetics isn’t available in Malaysia at time of writing, but it is available at Sephora in Singapore. It retails in the USA for US$28 and in Australia for A$42 each.
What is the 30 Days of Lip Swatches project? I will be showcasing and reviewing 30 lipsticks or lip glosses in the coming days. Lip products was chosen by popular vote from the readers. You may find all 30 days of lip swatches or follow it by clicking on the Lips category.
Previously : Day 14 of 30 : Dior Serum de Rouge Coral Serum No. 730
Esther says
May 31, 2011 at 4:48 pmOh Paris, do u have to? hahaha, I am always in search of the perfect coral lippie (lipstick/ lipgloss) and just as I thought I had enough, you had to post on another! 😀 and telling me it’s available at Sepohra in Singapore… I think I will make my way there this evening! 😀
ParisB says
May 31, 2011 at 4:57 pmLOL! Lucky you to be able to head to a counter! 😀 And bad me for enabling yes? But I have to share the lurveee…. 😉 Take a good sniff before buying though. And let me know what other colours are pretty! 😉 I might have to take a look at the brand when I head down to Singapore next month 😀
Lee says
May 31, 2011 at 5:01 pmWow, this colour is nice on you, I like the gloss but without shimmer!
I’ve been wanting to try hourglass but well, LMdB still stays on top of my very list :p xxx
ParisB says
May 31, 2011 at 5:50 pmThanks! 😀 Its a gorgeous shade and I too like that its shimmer-less yet glossy as heck! 😀 I’ve still got my LMdB to wade into… in time… 😉
Marina (Makeup4all) says
May 31, 2011 at 7:06 pmI am not sure if you will love or hate this 😉 but… I think Hourglass is one of the best brands I’ve ever tried. I am really impressed with the quality of all the products that I’ve tried! Their duo eye shadows and Calligraphy eye liner are fantastic. But so are the lipstick and the Aura collection.
I haven’t tried the gloss (yet) but I plan getting the Origami shade (from zuneta).
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 10:17 amOh Marina! You just HAD to tell me that! >.< I'm curious about those Aura blushes and I'll bear your recs for the duo eyeshadows and calligraphy eye liner. I actually have plans to go to Singapore next month where these is a counter… and I'd probably do some damage! Eeps!
Hanny says
May 31, 2011 at 7:32 pmEEEK! PB, that’s pretty!!! I’d love to discover new makeup brands, but no one I know is going to the US right now. *Sighs*
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 10:19 amErm… neither do I unfortunately! Maybe I should just go myself LOL!
S says
May 31, 2011 at 8:01 pmGosh that is such a gorgeous colour! But as I won’t be able to get my hands on this beauty (which is good for my pockets =p) I will simply satisfy my lipgloss addiction with local drugstore brands such as Bourjois or even Revlon!
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 10:19 amBourjois and Revlon are both very good drugstore brands for glosses! I love Bourjois glosses (but the smell really gets to me) because they feel like Guerlain Kiss Kiss glosses. I kid you not! At a fraction of the price!
gio says
May 31, 2011 at 9:42 pmWow, that’s a very beautiful shade. What a shame about the scent though, I can’t stand strong sweet scents in lip products.
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 10:23 amSame here! I prefer my lip products unscented because they are so near the nose 😛
Nikki says
May 31, 2011 at 10:03 pmI like the gloss so much! It gives a nice shine! I think this will look a bit weird on me as I have huge lips 😛
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 10:25 amIt won’t look weird on you Nikki! It doesn’t make lips look big at all and you have lovely lips 😛
Alene says
June 1, 2011 at 5:11 pmBeautiful on you! i LOVE the color and the way it makes thy lips look so healthy and shineeeh!
ParisB says
June 1, 2011 at 6:13 pmThanks dearie! 😀 Its really very lovely… even the pricetag is lovely!
Nadia says
June 4, 2011 at 6:40 amI’m liking this gloss too. The last Hourglass makeup I tried was the lipstick and I loved it. I used it all up in a month just coz I kept using it every single time I applied lipstick!!
ParisB says
June 5, 2011 at 6:29 pmGoodness! If its that good, I gotta take a look at it!